Airport Screeners Letter of Support- CUPE

A Letter of Support from CUPE Ontario

Dear IAM comrades:
On behalf of the 290,000 members represented by CUPE Ontario, we are writing to urge you
and your fellow Airport Screening Officers to retain your membership of the International
Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM). It is vital that your voice continues to
be heard in IAM and, via its affiliation to the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) and Canadian
Labour Congress (CLC), in the two key bodies that make up our House of Labour.
We believe you will recognize, as we do, that there has been an unmistakable and very
welcome shift in the labour movement in Ontario over the last two to three years. Like never
before, workers are finding their voice, speaking out and demanding better. We want to make
sure that you remain a part of these developments through your representation by IAM, OFL
and CLC.

As trade unionists, we can only achieve what we deserve as workers by working collectively,
with strong representation at the bargaining table, in the board room and in the legislature.
Never has it been truer to say that when we stand together, we win together.
In the past, CUPE Ontario has felt the support of other unions in Ontario, including IAM, through
the leadership of the OFL and the CLC. In 2022, our union engaged in some of its greatest
labour struggles, including a province-wide general strike by 55,000 education workers. We will
never forget the support we received from unions like yours. In return, you can always be
certain that CUPE Ontario and other unions in the house of labour have the backs of IAM and
its members.

Finally, we will remind you that IAM is a longtime and well-respected player in Ontario’s labour
movement, with a fine history of fighting and winning major gains for its members. It has also
been a leader in the fight for decent work, fairness, and equality. With members like yourselves,
IAM will continue to grow in influence and power, creating relationships with unions like CUPE
to ensure that we are fighting effectively for the respect and share of prosperity that workers
deserve. IAM members, including Airport Screening Officers, are a vital part of that future.
It’s our strongest hope that you will reject any attempt to take Airport Screening Officers out of
IAM and that you, your voice, and your concerns will be part of a strong presence both in your
union and in the House of Labour.

In Solidarity,
Fred Hahn Yolanda McClean
President Secretary-Treasurer